By Yahaya Tijani Suleiman.
A lion, irrespective of the colour of its skin, remains a beast. And no beast, no matter how well groomed for the cameras, possesses the heart of a human.
A dramatic video recently surfaced, celebrating what has been generously described as an act of magnanimity by the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello. In the carefully choreographed clip, Bello reunited a sugarcane seller, a mother of three, with her estranged husband and proceeded to promise empowerment for both of them.
On the surface, such kindness is commendable. Charity, after all, is a noble virtue, even when it arrives with a ring light and a cameraman. So, congratulations to Madam Esther and her husband, Mr Useni, beneficiaries of this sudden overflow of compassion. Nigerians now eagerly await the physical manifestation of the promised shop for Esther and the mystical connection to estate developers that will ensure Useni’s interlocking business never again knows interruption.
One also hopes that those close to Mr Useni will advise him appropriately, that the daughter of the White Lion is not to be assaulted. Because whether white, brown, or albino, every lion known to zoology remains carnivorous and emotionally indifferent.
This is precisely why it is difficult for some of us to reconcile this theatrical generosity with the eight unforgettable years of Bello’s maximum rule over Kogi State.
Truth be told, there is very little Bello can do today that will impress his critics. Is this an attempt to replicate Governor Ademola Adeleke’s celebrated benevolence in Osun State, where a humble puff puff seller became a chef at the Government House? Hardly. The difference lies not in the gesture but in the history. Antecedents are stubborn things, they refuse to be edited out by a viral video.
Whatever Bello does today cannot erase yesterday, it only reopens the book of its chronicles.
What of the countless souls allegedly sent to untimely graves during his tenure as governor? What of the months, stretching into years, when salaries of both husbands and wives were withheld with mathematical cruelty? What of the children forced out of school because both parents appeared on the now infamous uncleared list? What of the thousands of Kogites sentenced to permanent poverty by administrative fiat?
And what of the billions of naira he is alleged to have diverted, now subjects of an ongoing trial? What of unpaid gratuities hanging like ancestral curses around the neck of Kogi State governments?
These questions cannot be swept aside by the sugarcane drama of Esther and Useni.
One story, in particular, still pierces the conscience. A Grade Level 12 officer remained uncleared until death intervened. After nearly a year without salary, his children reportedly dropped out of school. The family went two days without food, forcing the man to steal a one kilogram packet of semovita from a Lokoja market stall, an act he carried out without the seller’s knowledge.
On his way home, fate arranged an encounter. A friend saw him trekking and offered him a lift. Overwhelmed by guilt, the man confessed that he had stolen food so his children could eat, too embarrassed to continue relying on those who had been assisting him.
Alarmed, the friend insisted they return to the market. The man confessed to the woman and apologised. In a moment of genuine humanity, the seller allowed him to keep the semovita and added a packet of spaghetti free of charge. The friend bought additional food items before taking him home.
At home, the man sat quietly while his wife prepared the meal. When the food was ready, he was found slumped on the sofa, dead, long defeated by despair before death sealed the verdict.
Can the sudden kindness extended to a Gwari man resurrect this fallen Kogi man?
Today, countless retirees wander helplessly, unable to access their gratuities or pensions. Yet a man angling desperately for a senatorial seat rents a shop for a woman in Abuja and expects a standing ovation.
Alhaji Bello should return to where he has fallen from. He should use this unconstitutional third term in public relevance to right the wrongs of his past before divine judgment begins to fall in quick succession. He would do well to start by paying unpaid gratuities and pensions. He should remember all promotions in the last ten years which were not cash backed. He should act fast before the prophecy hidden in Dino Melaye’s song about his imprisonment becomes less lyrical and more literal.
History may be patient, but it is never forgetful. And satire, like truth, has a very long memory.
But remember, there is no vacancy in the Senate. Natasha remains our senator. She will enjoy our thumb again and again.
– Suleiman is a retired Federal Civil Servant based in Ado-Ekiti.
